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Global climate change is unequivocal, almost certainly is caused mostly by us, already is causing significant harm, and is growing rapidly.

Middle and high school teachers worked in groups with climate experts to examine data that provide evidence of the climate changing.

Eighteen teachers engaged in the climate change curriculum during the 2011 workshop. They were from the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as from Santa Barbara and Seattle.

A large body of scientific information indicates that global climate change is unequivocal, almost certainly is caused mostly by human activities, is already causing significant harm, and as it continues, holds great risks for our future. Addressing the risks of climate change requires global and local action to reduce greenhouse gases as well as to reduce vulnerabilities to climate change impacts.

Global climate change and its impacts on people and resources pose serious societal challenges. The actions we take today will influence the path of future greenhouse gas emissions and the magnitude of warming. They will also affect our ability to respond and adapt to changes, and to reduce vulnerability of people and places to possible harm. Educating future generations about the causes and effects of global climate change is imperative because implementing solutions depends on an informed public.

This project is an exemplary case of documenting in detail the full circle of curriculum development, teacher professional development, classroom implementation, data collection and analysis, and curriculum revision before further implementation. At each stage, there has been ongoing evaluation to both inform the project and to provide better understanding of the unique demands and requirements of climate change education.

Based on our findings, we provide curricular units for middle and high school classrooms.